— Leon Anemoi Greyrat —
I surveyed the land before us, a land covered with dense trees that surrounded the clearing we were currently standing, the faint scent of distant smoke entering my nose.
This was the Strife Zone, or more specifically, the wastelands of it, which had been long since abandoned by the surrounding kingdoms and nations as they shifted their focus from constant war to development.
This place in particular was apparently a former battlefield for quite a few confrontations, hence the scattered remains of weapons, as well as the abandoned campfires around the place.
With no one wanting to claim this barren space, I suppose it was the perfect place to stay if you wanted to remain hidden, which the Man-God's apostles had.
I narrowed my eyes into the distance, the thrum of danger ringing in my head as I continued staring that direction.
That must be where our opponents were… and from how Eris, Ghislaine, and the North God had turned their gaze that way with intense focus, they seemed to have noticed it too.
And the North God… he seemed particularly intense.
"Father…" he muttered, his teeth gritting.
Ah… he must be talking about the former North God, Kalman II, who was someone Orsted had pinned as an apostle, and was part of what Orsted had used to get him to join us.
He was probably going to help out anyway, as he still opted to call me 'boss' in conversation, but from what I knew of the guy, there was also the fact that he felt a bit of an insecurity towards his predecessors, and this… this was a chance to show his superiority, while also fighting against a 'villain' in the Man-God.
Of course, this wasn't so simple as 'good' and 'bad', just like most fights… but he was too much of a simpleton to understand such nuance.
"They're moving…" Orsted said, a frown adorning his face. "It seems that our arrival was noticed… or perhaps they had noticed back when Perugius drew this magic circle and prepared accordingly."
"Well either way… I suppose we should divide our opponents now to avoid confusion," I said, turning to the group.
Just as Orsted had said, our opponents were both numerous and strong.
As for his apostles, Orsted had noted that they were very likely the Fighting God, the Ogre God who lived in the northeast of the Central Continent, the Demon Lord Atofe that Rudy had encountered those many years ago, and lastly… the hidden variable in Geese Nukadia.
There was also Atofe's knight, Moore, the Death God Randolph Marianne, the former Sword God Gal Farion, as well as a few fighters of impressive strength.
As for why they had joined this battle without the Man-God's influence… well, Moore had likely just joined his master, but for the rest, they were probably gathered by Geese, knowing how crafty that guy was, and was the only reason the Man-God was able to surprise Orsted with his forces.
"Aleksander… I'm guessing there's no need for me to say who you'll be handling?" I asked the North God.
"Nah… my old man…" he said, a smirk forming on his lips. "I'll show him how much I've grown, and finally be able to beat some sense into him."
Yeah… that family really was troublesome.
Well… good luck, then.
"Rudeus. Isolte." I turned towards the other two. "You're facing Atofe and Moore. According to Orsted, Atofe is one of the Man-God's apostles, so it is unlikely that you will be able to reason with her like you did before."
"Haa… alright, I got it," Rudy said, shaking his head. "But don't worry. I was able to survive against her before, and that was without my new and improved magic armour, so this should be… easy."
The fact that your hands were shaking wasn't giving me much confidence, brother, but I will trust you.
Isolte, on the other hand, simply nodded with narrowed eyes.
Well, this would probably be her toughest actual battle since becoming the Water God, but I knew from the few spars we had that she was strong, so I could trust her to keep both herself and my brother safe.
Because honestly, defeating their opponents would only be a bonus, as I was mostly counting on everyone to keep any distractions away as I fought the Fighting God.
"Then… Ruijerd and Ghislaine… you two can handle the Ogre God, correct?" I asked, turning to them.
"Of course. He may be strong, but I am as well, and that is without Miss Ghislaine's assistance," Ruijderd said, nodding to her before he looked into the distance. "It is a shame… he was very helpful in allowing me to find my people, but alas… I will have to remove the influence of whatever temptations have been laid into his mind."
So they had a history… I didn't know that.
Ghislaine simply hummed in agreement as she rested her hand on her sword, her tail flicking back and forth in anticipation.
So things with them were settled then.
"Alright. Now, Eri-"
"I'm taking on that old fucker," she interrupted me, a smirk spreading across her face. "Alone."
…Okay then.
"I see… I'm guessing you're talking about your old master… but are you fine with that?" I asked.
Even if he was no longer the Sword God, that was simply because Jino had gotten stronger than him, not because he had weakened.
Although he was getting older, Gal Farion was still a very strong swordsman.
"Hah. Yeah… I need to confirm something, is all… and I don't want any help either, got it?" she said.
"Sure…"
Although, if I noticed her in serious danger, I would go against my word to save her… but she didn't need to know that.
And honestly, I doubt I would have the concentration to focus on the other battles anyway.
"And lastly… Father, Sara, Sylphy, Roxy, Lina… the five of you will handle Geese and his allies," I said, feeling another pang of worry as my gaze swept over my wives. "Just… be safe, please. And if there is a need… then escape. This whole battle is for the survival of our family, so there is no use if anyone dies here."
They all nodded their heads, with both Sylphy and Roxy giving me a reassuring smile… or, at least, attempting to.
"Don't worry, son. While I'm not the strongest guy around, I sure know how to keep myself and my party members alive," Paul said, placing his fist on his chest. "So just fight that super strong guy, and let me do something cool, eh?"
…
"Lina, I'm leaving their safety to you," I said.
Ignoring my father's cries of betrayal, I then turned to the last one.
"And Orsted… while you have your own battle, I ask that you save those I love if they need it. Even if it costs you your mana," I said.
"Hmm… I can do that… I will be staying here anyway to prepare for the Death God's eventual arrival, as I am sure he will try to launch a surprise attack on the weaker forces," he replied, looking over to the group of five, who all frowned at the remark. "Everyone else should move to intercept their respective opponents… the chaos of a combined battle, especially with the stronger fighters, would only lead to their benefit."
Well, I had planned to have us separate anyway.
And noticing the overwhelmingly powerful presence in the forest that had remained motionless throughout our entire conversation… it seemed that he wanted a one-on-one battle as well.
From the brief encounter I had with the guy who was apparently the Fighting God… well, that seemed just like him.
"Then… I wish you luck, everyone," I said, crouching down as touki flowed through my legs. "And please… stay safe."
Receiving a nod from everyone else, I then launched forward, leaping high above the trees as I began closing in on my opponent.
The third ranked power, the Fighting God… I wonder how I would match up to him when he was serious.
— Rudeus Greyrat —
Having summoned and adorned my magic armour, I raced through the forest with Isolte close behind me, my body running through branches and bushes as if they were nothing, the air booming with every step.
This was the result of yet another advancement thanks to Zanoba's genius, and with my raw power now surpassing that of a Saint-ranked swordsman, it was fair to say that my largest weakness in combat had been addressed by the newest version of my magic armour, which now actually looked like a regular knight's set of armour rather than a mecha.
And no… I wasn't sad at all about not looking like the mecha armour of my dreams… after all, it was impractical for combat… nope, not sad at all…
But anyway, honestly, under normal circumstances, it would be incredibly fun to use this thing in real combat, destroying monsters with my bare fist like my crazy brother and sister-in-law, but considering who I was up against… well, I wasn't feeling too enthusiastic despite the upgrade.
The Demon Lord Atofe… I had only fought her briefly back when I was trying to get the Soukaku grass for Shizuka's illness, but I had spent more time fighting her loyal and undying knight, Moore, and ended up getting out of the fight through my talking skills.
And now that I didn't have that to rely on anymore… I know that they will be incredibly troublesome.
"Sir Rudeus. You mentioned that our opponents have the power of regeneration, correct?" Isolte asked as we momentarily stopped our movement, the rumbles of a great battle in the distance causing the trees to sway and the ground to shake.
Leon… you crazy bastard.
Were you even human at this point?
Anyway, Isolte's question.
"Yeah… they both do," I replied, a frown forming on my face as I shifted my eye of foresight into 'combat mode', looking a couple seconds into the future rather than one.
"Then, I suppose I will need your assistance in regard to fire magic, but you can leave the frontline to me," she said, slowly unsheathing her longsword as she held it forward. "As the standing Water God, I will ensure that our enemies shall be vanquished."
Well… I could do without the whole chivalry thing, but it did instill some confidence within me knowing that such a strong swordswoman was fighting beside me.
With a small clearing before us, and the old remnants of what seemed to be a former camp with old fire pits lining the ground, the two of us waited as the sounds of another battle broke out in the distance, and before I knew it… the vision of a swordsman launching out of the forest appeared from my future sight.
I slammed my staff against the ground, sending a wave of mana to penetrate the dirt in front of him, morphing it into a wall of spikes that shot up just before the attacker arrived, causing him to jump up to avoid, stopping his charge as he landed just a hundred meters in front of us.
"It's you… so it seems that we will fight once again," he said, his voice reaching me from across the clearing.
So he remembered me… I didn't know if that was a good thing or not.
Well, thankfully, I would be able to leave most of his close combat abilities to Isolte here, and I was more than his match in terms of magic combat, especially with the modifications to my magic armour.
But if he was here… then she would be soon.
As if confirming my words, a shadow then leaped over the treeline, streaking across the sky before landing to the left of the old knight, the ground collapsing underneath at the force of her impact.
"Haha! It's you! Just like that guy promised!" she shouted, slowly standing up to look at me with an excited grin. "Rudeus! This time, I will surely take you back as my soldier!"
That blue skin, white hair, crimson eyes, and battle hardened armour… it was definitely her.
Atoferatofe Ryback, the Immortal Demon Lord, and someone that brought back some bad memories.
Last time we met, I was only able to escape due to a mix of trickery and a silver tongue, but this time… things wouldn't be so simple.
"My apologies, but I already have my plate full with three wives and three kids," I shouted back, raising my staff to point towards her. "So, unfortunately… I will have to refuse."
My eyes shot to Isolte, and seeing the blue-haired woman nod her head, I summoned a large spear of fire in an instant before launching it forward, the projectile shooting through the air towards the demon lord, though veering off slightly to the left.
"Hahaha! Just as defiant as before, I see! But this time-"
Her words were interrupted by her face being abruptly blown to pieces, my magic having been timed to explode just as it passed by her head, leaving quite the gruesome sight.
But still… that wouldn't be enough.
Not against her.
"That… is most certainly disturbing," Isolte said as Atofe's head began to reform, her skull, muscles, and flesh quickly regenerating.
"Yeah… it is," I replied, frowning.
As Atofe's face finally reformed, her eyes twitched before turning to stare at me, pupils widening in anger.
"You… you interrupted me…" she muttered.
Ah… shit.
I was hoping that the heat from the explosion would be able to cauterize her wounds, but I guess it wouldn't be so simple…
Atofe then unsheathed her sword before taking a step forward, and a moment later… she disappeared.
The hair on my skin rose, and with the wind brushing my hair back…
Clang!
Isolte suddenly stood in front of me, her sword held horizontally as her face twisted in exertion.
"Oho? Hahaha! There's another fun one!" Atofe said, her sword rattling against Isolte's as she narrowed her red eyes. "But you know, girl… your strength isn't anything compared to my old husband's."
"Hmph," Isolte grunted, smirking as she readjusted her grip. "And you aren't nearly as skilled as my friend and liege's husband."
That caused Atofe to momentarily tilt her head.
"Huh? Master and liege? What do you-"
Atofe's confused words were cut off as Isolte's blade blurred, the sound of an explosion resounding as the demon lord's body was sent flying backwards in two pieces.
So my brother's womanizing trait ended up being useful in my battle… who would have expected that?
Not wanting to let up, I sent a wave of fire to cauterize the two halves of her body, but before I could…
"I cannot allow that!" Moore said, extending his hand as a veil of water rose from the ground, neutralizing my attack. "Rudeus the Quagmire… I will not let the same-"
His words were interrupted by the shockwave I had released from my right hand, one of the new additions to my newly improved magic armour.
Leon was onto something… it really was quite fun to cut people off while they were talking in battle.
But unfortunately, even if he was sent flying back towards the treeline, that would be far from enough to neutralize him.
Hearing another nearby crash, I turned my head to see a large figure landing on the ground, a furious roar releasing from his mouth as two blurs raced around him, a barrage of spear thrusts and a dance of slashes of the Sword God style.
Wait… that was…
"I see… Leon had told me of your skills back then… you more than live up to it, Miss Ghislaine," Ruijerd said, stopping as whom I assumed to be the Ogre God rose to his feet.
"I could say the same to you," Ghislaine replied, raising her sword as she dodged a punch. "Fighting alongside someone with such skills… it's been much too long!"
Both of her eyes, as her magic eye was now uncovered, narrowed as she sprinted towards their opponent, her sword lashing out at his wrist, digging deep into his arm.
But that only left her wide open to a strike from his other fist.
The air cracked, and as the hand bore down towards Ghislaine's defenceless side… it was suddenly stopped.
"Then… I suppose we should do this again," Ruijerd said, his spear raised to defend as his legs dug into the ground from the force of the strike.
"Yes… let's," Ghislaine said, her tail flicking as she blurred once more, appearing behind the Ogre God a moment later.
Did… they just have a moment?
I wasn't very good at understanding the underlying meanings with those warrior types, but I felt like they just did.
But either way, it seemed like they weren't the only company that was nearby.
Looking to my left, I watched as another two fighters leaped out into the clearing, the nearby trees falling down from the force of their weapons meeting.
Weren't we supposed to be separated?
What happened to that idea?
"Haa!" the North God shouted, his right arm slowly regenerating as his sword swung down towards his opponent.
"You've grown a bit, Alek!" the older man said, his spear twisting in his hands as he lashed out towards the North God.
"Tch. You stupid old man… you aren't nearly as strong as Laplace!" Alek replied, his sword glowing purple as his gravity magic activated, the ground around the former North God forming into a crater from his increased weight. "And why would you partner with these people! Do you even know what they do?"
"I could say the same to you!" he said, his teeth gnashing. "Do you know what that boy is trying to do? Do you wish for the world's destruction!?"
"Shut up! Boss is a hero, you old fuck!"
"Mind your manners!"
"Hell no!"
It… almost seemed like a somewhat regular argument between a son and a father.
At least… that was if they weren't destroying each other's bodies alongside each exchange of words.
Seriously, even if they could regenerate, shouldn't there be at least a bit of a familial bond there?
But I guess not every family was like ours…
"Rudeus, focus!" Isolte shouted, causing me to look back to the front.
Right, I had a battle to fight myself.
I held my staff forward as Moore quickly closed in, his eyes burning in anger as he raised his sword, wind wrapping tightly around his blade as his muscles bulged.
The mix between swordsmanship and magic… even though he had to chant, he could shorten it enough to act quick in battle, and by murmuring under his breath, he didn't give anything away.
Kind of like a poor man's Leon.
Moore momentarily stopped as the surrounding ground rumbled, a distant crash echoing across the forest as a white flash split across the sky, a large armoured figure flying back a moment later.
Okay… he was a really poor man's Leon.
Honestly, brother… you were much too insane.
With Moore once again running towards us, his sword swinging down to unleash his slash of wind, Isolte suddenly appeared in front of him, her blade parrying the magic to the side and leaving a large divot in the ground as their swords locked.
And with Isolte occupied with defending Moore… Atofe then moved in, her sword scraping across the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust as she approached.
But before she could land a hit on the occupied Water God, I extended my hand, sending out a large screen of water that extended across the ground towards Atofe, and once I confirmed that it had reached her, I summoned a bolt of lightning.
It took a while to get this spell down pat after having first used it against Moore all those years ago, but eventually, I discovered that it wasn't something so simple as understanding the science of electricity.
You also needed to feel it… the magic, that is.
The subtle excitement of static. The potential energy, just waiting to be released…
The blue arc shot out in an instant, a crackle resounding through the air as it connected with the layer of water I had coated the ground with, causing Atofe to momentarily freeze as the shock broke through her touki.
Now, while electricity worked to weave through touki that was based on pure power and not skill, such as Orsted and Leon's defences, it didn't change the fact that she would be able to recover in only a moment.
But a moment was all that I needed.
Extending my left hand this time, I infused my mana into the magic circle on the top of my hand, a spell quickly forming into a set of concentrated stone, the projectiles spinning faster than the speed of sound as the tips began to glow from the friction between the air.
While this was a marvel of magical engineering, it was quite the useless one, as not only was it extremely inefficient in terms of mana conversion, but it was also basically impossible for anyone but me to activate it.
But in return… the results were quite impressive.
My barrage launched forth, shattering the sound barrier as they impacted Atofe's body, tearing into her flesh before the force then blew her to pieces, scattering her across the ground in a gruesome scene of carnage.
And at the same moment, Isolte was able to slide her blade down Moore's, cleaving his hand off in the process before her sword flashed, sending him flying backwards in three pieces.
"Hoo… thank you, Rudeus, for your aid," she said, releasing a breath as she slightly lowered her sword.
"No, I should say the same… and unfortunately, it won't be so simple," I replied, looking over to the masses of flesh that were beginning to reform, the fibres of flesh stretching to reach the other large pieces. "And from what I attempted before, we won't be able to win by simply burning her."
"I see… then, I suppose we will need to try a few things. Do not worry. I will keep us both safe," she said.
"Thank you, Miss Isolte…" I replied, preparing myself for another battle.
Well, as great as it was to know that I had such a trusty companion at my side, that didn't change the fact that this was sure to be tough.
Honestly… just how were we going to win this?